Scrapping healthcare self-isolation will cause ‘anger and concern’
workers’ unions havewarnedagainstthescrapping of self-isolation requirements for double double-vaccinated healthcare staff after contact with a positive case.
The warning comes after Nicola Sturgeon said the measure was under “active consideration”inacovidupdatetomsps on Tuesday.
The self-isolation requirement will be removed for all adults who have had two vaccine doses from August 9, but this may be brought forward for healthcare staff, amid staff shortages in health boards across Scotland caused by selfisolation.
Butsomeunionshavewarned against this.
The GMB said it would cause “anger and concern” among staff, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the Scottish Government must provide evidence the measure could be done safely.
Martinmacgregor,vice-chair of the RCN Scotland Board, said non-urgent remobilisation should be scaled back to reduce short staffing, ahead of any move to change isolation requirements.
He said: “Our members remain under pressure at the moment as hospital and ITU numbers are rising while a significant number of staff in health and social care are required to self-isolate.
“It is essential that nursing staff are able to work safely, wherever they are employed, and the RCN cannot support the current proposals from the Scottish Government to allow the early return of self-isolathealthcare ing staff. The Scottish Government needs to set out the evidence demonstrating that Test and Release can be done safely. The RCN expects that re-mobilisationplansshouldbelimited as the first measure to increase capacity.
"Employers should also be making sure that nursing staff have access to the highest level of PPE.
“As the First Minister acknowledged yesterday, to relax the rules for one group of people could be seen as giving healthandcarestafflessprotection than the wider public.”
The GMB union warned the First Minister to “not go there”.
Senior organiser for public services Drew Duffy said: “Our message to the First Minister is simple – ‘don’t go there’. This will only anger and concern staff who are already absolutely exhausted and undercut.”